#318Kyla Williams, The Shuri Project

When The Shuri Project was in its formative stages and unnamed, it was designed to be a tech mentoring program for girls and boys in Chicago’s Roseland community area. However, the conversation about the lack of representation in tech by women in general and the disproportionate number of black women in tech led the Henry Williams Love Foundation (HWLF) Board to vote on making the program girls only. The statistics cite employment for black women in tech positions at 3%, a daunting statistic to overcome.

In response, The Shuri Project piloted a pedagogical process called, “the black girl experience,” that takes the conversation of representation in tech education and skill building to the next level in a very honest and empowering way.

In this talk, Kyla Williams, the CEO and president of the Henry Williams Love Foundation, and former Exeutive Director of the Smart Chicago Collaborative will discuss some early findings from the Summer 2018 session of The Shuri Project, next steps for the program, and advocacy for representation in the implementation of STEM programs using the “black girl experience” mentoring model.

RSVP required Braintree now requires all attendees to RSVP beforehand. Walk-ins will not be allowed!

ASL This event will have an American Sign Language interpreter.

Food Food and drinks will be provided. We encourage attendees to bring their own water bottles to reduce waste.